Alacrity
by Ariaeris
Summary: It was an unfamiliar feeling, bowing to Fate's whims. Just this once though, Harry thought that he might actually have had Fate on his side. Slash.


_**Alacrity**_

_Chapter 1: Fated_

_Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face._

_- Dave Barry_

* * *

Harry laughed freely as he practically skipped down the street, a young man trailing after him, calling out his name between chuckles.

The cool air, the sound of chatter surrounding him, the passing smiles he both received and returned; never had he felt so surrounded by comfort and acceptance.

It was odd, considering his original reception. He was well acquainted with the feeling of suspicious stares burning themselves into the back of his head. He had even known what they had been thinking; Legilimency hadn't been necessary to read the open fear on their faces.

Fear that he would break the strong man's heart; fear that he would be just another friend who had, unknowingly, led him on. He had met her, the one who had broken his mate's heart, very briefly, and hadn't been very impressed. He could clearly see the remnants of a strong bond between them, and it hurt to see just how close she had come to almost stealing him away.

She hadn't though; she had chosen someone else, someone Harry honestly thought was unhealthy for her, but she was happy and he had no right to judge. And, in his darkest moments, he was happy too. Happy she had rejected his mate, no matter how cruel that sounded.

If she hadn't, then maybe they never would have gotten together. Harry did not know how either of the two would have reacted to his presence, but Harry would never have interfered with their relationship. He would have continued on into the world, his chosen soul mate not by his side, eternally unhappy.

Wasn't that a laugh? A soul mate, chosen by fate as his perfect match. Harry had always hated fate and he was pretty sure that fate hated him too, but somehow he had managed to snag the cutest, funniest, most loving shape-shifter the world had ever seen.

And he was _happy._ That was the real kicker. Ever since the fulfillment of the prophecy that had set him against the mad Dark Lord, Harry had sworn that he would never again bow to the whims of fate. But, without him even realizing it, he had fallen right into Lady Fate's hands once again, and he had no problem with that whatsoever.

Harry yelped as strong arms wrapped around his waist, the vibrations at his back as pleasurable a sensation as the low laughter in his ear.

"Caught you." The words were low, with a teasing lilt, and Harry was grateful that he had finally stopped shivering and blushing like a shrinking violet every time he was embraced. That had been quite awkward for both of them when they realized that his magic was naturally making him more submissive to compliment the other's dominant personality.

Never a greater moment had there been then when he had finally gotten his magic to back off so that his original personality could return. Actually, realizing that his mate loved him as he truly was outstripped that success by far.

"Really now?" Harry asked lightly, dancing out of the other's tanned arms. "I don't think so. I let you."

Two large hands cupped his face before he could go any further, and he was drawn up into a sweet kiss. Dark, loving eyes consumed his vision, and he gradually relaxed as he was wrapped up into another embrace, standing on his tiptoes as his mate leaned down to deepen the kiss.

It was going to be really awkward trying to explain to Sirius why he had his family name once he returned to visit England. The random thought flitted through his mind, and Harry leaned away from the kiss, laughing uproariously.

Jacob Black most definitely did not pout as he watched his imprint giggle himself into near oblivion, and even if he did, the make-up kiss he received after Harry had controlled himself more than made up for it.

* * *

The only thing I know about Twilight is that I know enough to know that I don't like it. Well, maybe that's a lie. Twilight/Harry Potter fanfiction is a slight guilty pleasure of mine. More specifically, Jacob Black/Harry Potter is (and Cullens/Harry Potter is the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures).

Still, I absolutely suck at Twilight characterizations, so please, no flaming if Jacob is incredibly OOC. Then again, what I know of the whole 'imprinting' business is that Jacob would act all lovey-dovey for his imprint, but…

You know what? This was all for the sake of adding one more JB/HP fic to the world, because I like pairing Harry up with hot guys, and Taylor Lautner is pretty much the epitome of sexiness in my eyes right now. Imagining him with my mind's version of Harry makes me squee a little bit on the inside, so I decided to give into my baser urges and just write the damn thing.

Anyway, story-related notes out of the way, let's move on to the bigger picture:

My big four projects at the moment (Ardent Argent, A Moment of Mercy, Inexorable Inevitability, and Hardly Able to Breathe) are currently in a big overhaul phase. I'm trying to decide in which direction I want to take each story, and writing is going to take a bit of time. Now, I don't want to keep my readers hanging, so I've decided to follow my 2009 schedule and take a lull in writing (hah! As if I wasn't already in one!) and have a huge updating fest in April.

That's not to say that nothing is going to get done between now and then! What I'm planning on doing is, during the months of February and March, write two separate sets of oneshots; in February, I'll have Harry Potter Crossover oneshots and in March I'll have oneshots in different fandoms. I'm not shooting for daily updates (are you serious? Me? Daily?) but I will shoot for at least two new stories a week. I'll also be adding some other things and, at the same time, I'll be working on the Big Four and maybe updating them once or twice.

I know that might frustrate a few people, but I already feel really guilty for leaving you all hanging since Christmas and I want to at least give you all something to tide you over.

Anyway, love you all, both readers and reviewers, and I hope you enjoy the next couple months of steady (shocking, I know) updates!

Forever yours,

Ariaeris~

Ps: If I can get this damn site to say I posted this on the first, then I'll be golden.


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